I have been spring cleaning a lot these days adhering to Agathiyar's command to a devotee to ensure cleanliness in her home at all times to ward off illness and diseases. Cleaning and sprucing up the home clears the air too making it easier to breathe. I had the old windows that withstood some 26 years of rain and shine replaced and had to paint the walls as a result too. Changing the windows gives a new look to the home and painting the walls not only adds vibrancy and color to the home but also to life. A simple coat of paint brings cheer and brightness into the home. The color yellow is said to neutralize bad energy. Walls are said to retain negative energy vibes. A good coat of paint will do some good at eliminating it.
"Be sure to repair or remove broken things. Broken things bring that stuck and negative energy into your home," says Anjie Cho, Feng Shui, and holistic living expert and founder of Holistic Spaces. "Remove clutter as soon as possible. Objects retain lots of energy and physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually block our 'path' forward," says Maureen Calamia, a re-nature Feng Shui consultant. "Oh, and did we mention clutter makes you feel tired and stressed, too?" For those keen to know more read about energizing the home at https://www.housebeautiful.com/.
Throw in a lovely wife and children, that is heaven on earth. Painting the walls gave me a workout and fulfillment of seeing the end product. I guess I have seen through Agathiyar's appended wish to improve the existing home instead of moving out to a new venue as originally hinted by him.
We are grateful to Agathiyar for a roof over our heads and keeping us well. The Al Jazeera network covered the slums of Manila recently that brought tears to the eyes and made me appreciate and be grateful for all the small things that providence has provided us.
"Be sure to repair or remove broken things. Broken things bring that stuck and negative energy into your home," says Anjie Cho, Feng Shui, and holistic living expert and founder of Holistic Spaces. "Remove clutter as soon as possible. Objects retain lots of energy and physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually block our 'path' forward," says Maureen Calamia, a re-nature Feng Shui consultant. "Oh, and did we mention clutter makes you feel tired and stressed, too?" For those keen to know more read about energizing the home at https://www.housebeautiful.com/.
Throw in a lovely wife and children, that is heaven on earth. Painting the walls gave me a workout and fulfillment of seeing the end product. I guess I have seen through Agathiyar's appended wish to improve the existing home instead of moving out to a new venue as originally hinted by him.
We are grateful to Agathiyar for a roof over our heads and keeping us well. The Al Jazeera network covered the slums of Manila recently that brought tears to the eyes and made me appreciate and be grateful for all the small things that providence has provided us.
The divine has always intended good for us. All that happens is for our good, however painful it might be. We are to learn from our experiences. For instance, learning to forgive is so important in life that we realize the soul struggles to leave the body in its last moments of separation if we harbor greed, hatred, and other negative or evil tendencies. Life is all about building relationships and forming an association. We do not come with a given script. We learn on the spot and while here to adapt to people, society, and situations. Sometimes we might see the intended results or it might turn out to be a failure or disaster at other times. Thus, we are allowed to make mistakes. At the end of the day, it is all about learning. It is a process of learning that comes about from having these experiences.
The divine comes to our aid even as we struggle with our daily life. But the sad thing is that we are riddled by our worries and troubles that we do not recognize his presence and see his miracles. Sending me away with a parikaram or remedy in the Nadi back then, Agathiyar sent the birds too to my home to facilitate the fulfillment of the remedy. The birds of the species Anthus Richardi or locally known as burung Pipit Tanah were waiting for me at my home to feed them and have since stayed behind till the coming of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. I guess we had done enough and gained sufficient merits from our good deeds and that the scale has been balanced now for even the birds he sent over waiting for me to feed them after he mentioned in the Nadi have left now in my absence for some three weeks during the March 18 Covid lockdown. As more merits acquired would mean we need to take further births to enjoy its fruits, Agathiyar who had brought a stop to the other deeds of charity and feeding we did all these while, telling us that others shall continue the deed now, similarly chose to send the birds away too to another place where they shall be fed by another seeker.
Giving us a home and a shelter and the means for survival Agathiyar asks us to uphold cleanliness both within and external. Knowing man will never do it, teachings and practices were skillfully and masterly crafted and incorporated into our beliefs and faith, culture and tradition, festivities and celebrations. Hence, we end up, for instance, cleaning our household at least once a year as during the festive Pongal and painting the home before the Deepawali fest. So let us not wait for a special day to throw out the trash and stuff we have been piling up for use in the future that never happens, and instead, do it now. Let us get up from the couch and reach for the broom, the mop, and a pail of water and sweep and dust and mop the floor of our home sweet home. Let us fix all broken things today instead of leaving it for another day. Let us bring some color into our homes and our lives and boost our spirits by giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. But before you start on it, brew a nice hot mug of coffee to boost your energy.
Now, now don't you come up with a lame or should I say a cunning excuse not to do it as Henry tells his wife Liza in this children's song "There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza" from the series "You Can Read." We were introduced to this song and collection at a book fair when my eldest daughter was a kid. We thought it was a good investment in providing our child with a series on learning the English language as we were conversing with her in Tamil at home. We began to enjoy it too. This series is now watched by my granddaughter.
"This song seems to be in the German collection of songs Bergliederbüchlein (c 1700." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There's_a_Hole_in_My_Bucket)
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Well fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a straw.
But the straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long.
Then cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it!
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?
With a knife, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a knife, dear Henry, with a knife.
But the knife is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
But the knife is too dull, dear Liza, too dull.
Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then sharpen it dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it!
With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I sharpen, dear Liza, with what?
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a stone.
But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.
Well wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, wet it.
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, try water.
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, in what?
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, in a bucket!
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
The divine comes to our aid even as we struggle with our daily life. But the sad thing is that we are riddled by our worries and troubles that we do not recognize his presence and see his miracles. Sending me away with a parikaram or remedy in the Nadi back then, Agathiyar sent the birds too to my home to facilitate the fulfillment of the remedy. The birds of the species Anthus Richardi or locally known as burung Pipit Tanah were waiting for me at my home to feed them and have since stayed behind till the coming of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. I guess we had done enough and gained sufficient merits from our good deeds and that the scale has been balanced now for even the birds he sent over waiting for me to feed them after he mentioned in the Nadi have left now in my absence for some three weeks during the March 18 Covid lockdown. As more merits acquired would mean we need to take further births to enjoy its fruits, Agathiyar who had brought a stop to the other deeds of charity and feeding we did all these while, telling us that others shall continue the deed now, similarly chose to send the birds away too to another place where they shall be fed by another seeker.
Giving us a home and a shelter and the means for survival Agathiyar asks us to uphold cleanliness both within and external. Knowing man will never do it, teachings and practices were skillfully and masterly crafted and incorporated into our beliefs and faith, culture and tradition, festivities and celebrations. Hence, we end up, for instance, cleaning our household at least once a year as during the festive Pongal and painting the home before the Deepawali fest. So let us not wait for a special day to throw out the trash and stuff we have been piling up for use in the future that never happens, and instead, do it now. Let us get up from the couch and reach for the broom, the mop, and a pail of water and sweep and dust and mop the floor of our home sweet home. Let us fix all broken things today instead of leaving it for another day. Let us bring some color into our homes and our lives and boost our spirits by giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. But before you start on it, brew a nice hot mug of coffee to boost your energy.
Now, now don't you come up with a lame or should I say a cunning excuse not to do it as Henry tells his wife Liza in this children's song "There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza" from the series "You Can Read." We were introduced to this song and collection at a book fair when my eldest daughter was a kid. We thought it was a good investment in providing our child with a series on learning the English language as we were conversing with her in Tamil at home. We began to enjoy it too. This series is now watched by my granddaughter.
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Well fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a straw.
But the straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long.
Then cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it!
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?
With a knife, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a knife, dear Henry, with a knife.
But the knife is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
But the knife is too dull, dear Liza, too dull.
Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then sharpen it dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it!
With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I sharpen, dear Liza, with what?
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a stone.
But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.
Well wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, wet it.
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, try water.
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, in what?
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, in a bucket!
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.